Canon: Lighten Up

Print & Motion Campaign

American Advertising Awards

Silver Award
S32D Artificial Intelligence, Creative Elements Campaign

Course
Art Direction: Visual Brand Storytelling, SCAD
Tools
After Effects, Photoshop, ChatGPT

Instagram Reels. Motion pieces were developed in Adobe After Effects, with photography captured using Canon cameras.

Campaign concept

In today’s world, everything is about uploading what you’re doing. People grab their phones, snap a quick pic, and it’s instantly buried among thousands of others in their gallery. The act of capturing life has become automatic and disposable.

Made for people who value their time and want their photos to show it. They don’t see themselves as photographers, but they do want to feel proud of what they create. Canon PowerShot allows them to add purpose to their pictures in an easy and approachable way.

Motion concept

In film, motion is recorded at 24 frames per second. This campaign twists that idea, showing that one frame can hold every second of a memory. Inspired by pioneers like Muybridge, Rejlander, and Marey, the videos reference the origins of photography and film to create a layered concept.

Lighten Up print ad: hands holding a Canon PowerShot in a beam of light, with the headline “lighten up”.
Lighten Up poster with a red Canon PowerShot. Lighten Up poster with a blue Canon PowerShot.
Lighten Up billboard in a subway station.

Print ads. Assets were AI-generated using ChatGPT and refined in Adobe Photoshop.

Process

Brand audit

Before starting the creative work, I conducted a brand audit to analyze Canon’s positioning and communication.

Complete Brand Audit (PDF) ↗

Canon brand audit cover. Target audience profile: the young traveler. SWOT analysis of Canon. Unique selling proposition: Capture memories as they deserve to be remembered. Audience refinement: The People Watcher.

Print

Print moodboard of silhouettes and shadows. Rough sketches of the print executions.

Motion

Motion moodboard referencing early photography and film. Storyboard 1. Storyboard 2.